Training in the North of Researchers from the South: Experiences from Nordic-African collaboration

Abstract

Norwegian universities have trained students and other scholars from the South within fields related to African plant diversity through the last decades. The activities were funded by NUFU, the Norwegian Council of Universities Committee for Development Research and Education, and 30 students successfully obtained PhD degrees in taxonomy and other biodiversity related fields, and all but a few have entered into scientific position at universities or other relevant research institutes in Africa. Most collaboration involved Zimbabwe, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Kenya, and though successful, they all faced the challenges of multi-institutional and multi-cultural teaching and research collaboration. Basic research within botanical diversity is better taken care of when the university councils own and administer the projects, compared to the alternative ownership by aid agencies.